By Valeriy Kulikov
It is unlikely that Washington’s desire to disrupt the ongoing peace process in Syria will be of any surprise to anyone at this point. Judging by the modus operandi that the US chose to employ in Syria, most analysts argue that the West is going after Syria’s rich oil fields by taking advantage of local Kurdish communities that are not just trying to rob Damascus of its wealth but are also trying to prevent it from establishing control over numerous border crossings with Iraq . As it’s been noted by Iran’s Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif at this point in time Washington couldn’t care less about the so-called war on terror.
Unsurprisingly, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Sergei Ryabkov has also question Washington’s intentions of destroying ISIS in Syria, since this goal doesn’t correspond well with the geopolitical tasks that Washington has set in front of itself. According to Sergei Ryabkov, the recent death of Russia’s Lieutenant-General Valery Asapov in Deir ez-Zor was largely the result of the two-faced US policy in Syria.
At the very end of September the top brass of the Russian General Staff accused US intelligence services of staging an offensive of the Jabhat al-Nusra radical group within the deescalation zone established in Idlib. This offensive resulted in a total of 29 Russian military police servicemen finding themselves surrounded. They were later relieved by a special joint tasked group that consisted of Syrian and Russian elite soldiers. According to the chief of the Russian Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff, Sergey Rudsky, the offensive was initiated by the US special services who supposedly tried to put an end to the successful offensive of government troops east of Deir ez-Zor. Although no details were provided by General Rudskoy, it was nevertheless made clear that the US side was suspected of handing over “sensitive details” about the location of Syrian and Russian troops in Idlib. The West may argue that such data was transferred to one of the groups classifying itself as “moderate opposition” the close ties that these groups enjoy with radical Islamists are well documented.
Many Western media source have already admitted Washington’s double play in Syria. In particular, such revelations can be found in the Foreign Policy magazine that would note:
The US Department of Defense is reportedly still funneling billions of dollars’ worth of Soviet-era weaponry to anti-Islamic State groups in Syria, with questionable oversight. In a joint report published Tuesday, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) allege that the Pentagon has given up to $2.2 billion worth of weapons to groups like the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, or YPG.
The report that the above mentioned source cited notes that the Pentagon started the major buy-up in September 2015 under President Obama. By May of this year, it had already spent more than 700 million dollars on AK-47 automatic rifles, rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launchers, mortars, and other weapons and ammunition. It would also add that more than 900 million dollars has been contracted to be spent by 2022, while the Trump administration demanded a 600 million dollars increase in funding to sponsor similar activities. This brings the grand total of the Pentagon’s intended spending on its so-called Syrian allies to 2.2 billion dollars.
Additionally, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) has released details on the ongoing negotiations between the Pentagon and the Georgian Defense Ministry on the purchase of Soviet-made weapons for its subsequent transfer to the Syrian opposition. It should be noted that the fact of such negotiations was reported for the first time by the opposition TV company Rustavi-2, that has ties with the former Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili.
The above listed investigations can partially explain why military experts find sophisticated night vision goggles (NVG) on the bodies of dead terrorists that were liquidated in the course of the recent battles for Deir ez-Zor. It has been established now that ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra snipers are using NVG designed by Russian engineers. At the same time, it should be noted that exporting similar NVG devices is strictly forbidden in the United States. Only Washington’s closes allies can obtain a permission of the Pentagon but only after a number of pretty tiresome procedures of approval and upon providing guarantees that such device will under no circumstances fall into the hands of third parties. However, these restrictive measure are being successfully bypassed by the Pentagon and US intelligence agencies by purchasing NVG devices in Eastern Europe.
At the same time, the Homment media source would note that video and photographic materials from areas of ISIS bases near Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor that had recently been published by Russia’s Ministry of Defense made things very colorful for many high-ranking officials in the Pentagon. The US illusory fight against radical Islamists dissolved into thin air. And American special task forces, located so comfortable, even without any defensive screen, at their fortified strong points that have been properly prepared for them by Caliphate’s militants and free of any damage is a major mistake of the US propaganda. If American military feel at home at the areas of high ISIS activity, then there is no any conflict with Islamists. On the contrary, there is comradeship-in-arms and political support of bearded fanatics who cut dissidents’ throats in direct transmission mode
Yet another evidence testifying to Washington’s attempts to sabotage the peace process in Syria has been released by the Russian Defense Ministry that would provide details about an incursion of well over 600 radical militants entering the southern zone of deescalation in Syria at the beginning of October, without any interference from the US coalition to receive humanitarian aid directed to the representatives of the local population. The militants have covered almost 200 miles without any form of interference from US servicemen.
In fact, one should not be surprised at such treacherous behavior of the US in its approach towards well recognized terrorist organizations, since it’s no secret who created the monster of al-Qaeda demon and nurtured the Taliban movement. So the ongoing support Washington has been providing to ISIS is no anomaly, but yet another step in the long track record of Washington’s support of Islamic terrorists.
So, it’s not enough to beat all sorts of terrorist groups operating in Syria to reach a peace agreement, it’s also imperative to overcome the resistance that Washington has been showing.